In Memory of Paper Tickets
August 28, 2007. What if you arrived at the airport, ready to fly home, only to realize you had left your plane ticket in the luxury vacation rental? A hassle of epic proportions would most likely ensue, no doubt. That is what is great about e-tickets – you don't get them until you arrive at the airport, so you can't lose them (until you get to the airport).
Starting May 31 next year, paper tickets will be a thing of the past, according The World radio program. Many air travelers may have already noticed the gradual disappearance of paper tickets, which were once mailed to the traveler's home in advance of a journey.
The International Air Transport Association announced its last order for paper ticket, which marks the "nail in the coffin." Already, 84 percent of international flights already use paperless tickets, so most travelers will hardly notice the transition.
The story reminded me of the time I left my paper tickets in the arriving flight on a trip Washington, D.C. I didn't notice I had lost them until the day before I was scheduled to fly back to Kentucky, my home at the time. I spent many hours on the phone and had to arrive at the airport several hours early to obtain a new ticket.
Another advantage of the complete switch: the airlines will save $9 per passenger and an estimated 50,000 trees per year.
